Betrayal
by Rogue1979
Summary: The Pharaoh is critically wounded in battle and is hanging on life by a thread. During his incapacitation, Seth is set on the throne as regent. But the high priest is not satisfied with his position. He wants the crown. HIATUS.


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Hi all! Yes, another new fic...so much for my hiatus. This is only a one-shot though...maybe a two-shot, I'm going to let you decide. Have a read of this and then read the notes at the bottom.

No real warnings for this chapter. There MAY hav to be warnings for the next chapter...if there is a next chapter...again, it's for YOU to decide. REad on!

Don't own.

Onwards!

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**Betrayal**

The Pharaoh had been wounded. It was near fatal, and now the whole of Egypt held it's breath as the land's best healers attended to him, waiting for him to recover, or die.

He had been warned by his Priests not to get involved in the physical battle as he was a thinker, not a fighter, and he had no heir as yet, but when he'd heard that his army was falling, demoralised, being beaten back by the invading enemies, he mounted his white horse and rode to the battlefield, a war cry on his lips and determination in his heart.

His army's mood was elevated hugely by his arrival. For them to know that their Pharaoh was willing to join them in battle was enough to get them back on their feet, and fight for their kingdom! They began to succeed and it looked like they were about to win, when a well aimed arrow found it's mark. The young Pharaoh was struck below his left rib cage, the impact strong enough to wrench him from his horse. The fighting had to continue around him and the enemy was defeated in the name of their Pharaoh, their anger pushing them over the edge, their ferocity showing the invaders no mercy.

The Pharaoh was thankfully still alive when they reached the palace. Immediately the healers were called in, and the first contingency plan to cover his rule was put into place. While the Pharaoh was in his current state of near death, his cousin, the High Priest Seth, would rule in his stead as regent.

Days passed, and the Pharaoh was finally out of danger. His wound was healing quickly, but he was weak, fragile, like any moment, he could suddenly pass. Talks of what to do if the Pharaoh were to die were had.

"He has no heir," Shimon said matter-of-factly, and sadly. "So it would logically pass to Seth." The doubt in his voice was clear for all to hear.

"I am ready to rule as Pharaoh," Seth said glancing at his father. The two exchanged a look between them that no one else could read. This was what needed to happen; a stronger Pharaoh on the throne.

"No one is questioning your competencies, Seth," another priest said from his seat. "But these talks as if our Great Pharaoh has died bode ill will. We should be making sure he is well so that the Millennium Puzzle can be passed down the line for which it was meant. A sideways manoeuvre may taint it's powers."

"The Items can all be wielded by the chosen Pharaoh, Kalim," Seth's father, Akunadin, stated with slight venom in his voice, "even if that Pharaoh was not borne of the former Pharaoh. They were made for that, and the Gods acknowledge that power, and they will not cause them to harm a Pharaoh chosen in times of great need."

"These are not needy time, Akunadin!" Kalim spat. "We've beaten back the enemy, hurt them severely, the Pharaoh is passed danger, he will recover. Our time would now be better spent discussing less blasphemous topics. If this meeting does not turn in a new direction, I will consider my presence to be no longer required." He stood up to leave.

"Sit down, Kalim," Mahaado said, trying to keep the peace. "My Lord Seth, we all acknowledge your current duties as regent, and we all know that as the Pharaoh's cousin, you are the logical choice, but we have this pressing issue regarding the late inundation..."

Seth waved his hand dismissively. "Yes, yes, let us discuss that instead of our ill Pharaoh and what is to happen after his death." Another glance to his father told them both that this topic was far from over once they were in private quarters.

The meeting adjourned coming to a less than satisfactory conclusion. If the Nile did not flood in time, the harvests would be late next year and there was a possibility of losing many of the poorer villages to starvation. But that was still to come. There was another important and immediate matter that Seth had to take care of.

He stalked to his father's quarters and entered without knocking. "Father," he said loudly, announcing his presence.

"Ah, Seth, come in and sit down," Akunadin said from his bed chamber. As Seth sat on the plush couch in the middle of the main living area, the holder of the Millennium Eye joined him, bringing with him two goblets of beer. He handed one to his son. "That was a most uneventful meeting, would you not say?"

Seth glowered at him impatiently. "Father, I thought you were working on the other priests for me. It would seem that none of them are willing to welcome me onto the throne. They are all adamant that Atemu should bear an heir because his line is pure! I am the one who should have been on the throne when Aknamkanan died, not his brat of a child! He should have died in that battle!"

"Keep your voice down, Seth!" his father scolded. "You may be the High Priest and current regent, but you will still be executed if they find out you are plotting treason!"

"He should have died on that battlefield!" Seth said again and stood up from the seat. "Father, I trained to take over the throne since I was just a child, but the birth of that, that, pointy-haired little..!"

Akunadin stood and put a hand on his son's shoulder. "Seth, your day will come, soon. When I killed my own brother so that you might take the throne, I had no idea that they would put Atemu to rule so soon as he was so young. I felt sure you would be made regent for a few years and that the next phase of our plan would take place. With you training him, you would have been close enough to him to kill him without suspicion." The father paused and gulped down his beer. "But, now, we are in a fortuitous position, as you would have been years ago. It was too dangerous to attempt to kill the Pharaoh so soon after his coronation, but fate has played him into your hands. His condition is stable, but by no means safe. He could still die." He smiled wickedly at his son.

Seth had a feeling his father had a new plan, one that would now ensure his reign as Pharaoh. His smile matched that of his parent. "Tell me what I must do."

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Pharaoh Atemu shifted uncomfortably in his bed. He had cramp in his legs and wanted to get out of bed to walk around, but his recent dose of pain-relieving herbs had left him fairly weak. He could barely lift his arms to scratch the persistent itch below his bandages, which were wrapped entirely too tightly around his chest and abdomen. He sighed. He was bored too. Since he had woken up days earlier, he'd only seen a handful of servants accompanied by nameless guards and the palace healers, none of whom spoke to him. They came in, did their duties and then left, which meant Atemu was alone for most of the time.

He closed his eyes and tried to sleep, but days of being unconscious and the following days of boredom had left sleep lacking. He'd begged the last healer to give him some sleeping aid, but the man had denied it to him saying it would be counter-effective alongside the pain herbs. He'd also asked the man to play a game with him, to which the man had laughed and bowed low upon exiting.

'Why have none of my priests come to see me to tell me what is happening in my kingdom following the battle?' He sighed again. 'I will have to _order_ the next person who comes in here to keep me company with a game.'

He opened his eyes when he heard the door to his quarters opening and waited a short while for the person to make themselves known. It was probably just another servant. He could hear some movement from the other room, but couldn't see them. When his chamber doors opened again, he called out weakly, "Wait! Whoever that is, come here, by order of the Pharaoh!"

"My King, I did not realise that you were awake."

Atemu smiled. "Seth! Seth, come here and keep me company." His blue robed priest entered the bed chamber and approached the side of the bed. "Seth, thank goodness. I thought I was going to be abandoned in here until I could walk back into my throne room and continue as if nothing happened."

Seth smiled and sat on the edge of the bed. "I am glad to see you are making a swift recovery, my Pharaoh. But you know, everyone is angry that you went into battle. You denied their opinions, their recommendations, the ones they are trained and authorised to give. That is most likely why thay have not been to see you. Out of respect for you, they are waiting until you make a full recovery, in case they are compelled to say aught."

Atemu frowned. "But, Seth, you were the one who suggested that I could help raise the morale of my army and lead them to victory. I went, I lead, morale was up...we won...right?"

"Yes, the kingdom is safe for now. But you got in the way of an arrow. Luckily, it did not kill you. We were told that if the arrow was slightly higher or lower..." Seth shook his head. "The Gods must really love their new Pharaoh, especially since he has yet to take a wife and bear an heir to the throne."

"Play a game with me, Seth," Atemu said changing the subject. "I have been so bored."

"In a minute, my King. How are you feeling?"

"Weak. I feel like the drugs they have me on are keeping me that way though."

"May I conduct an experiment?"

"Of course."

Seth smirked. "Lift an arm up for me." Atemu did so. He laced his long slim fingers between the slightly shorter, but no more or less slim ones and began to put a little pressure on. "Now push against me, and try to keep your arm straight." Atemu nodded, but the second Seth pushed against him, his arm buckled from lack of strength. "Oh dear. You _are_ weak. You used to last at least ten seconds before you were shot with an arrow."

Atemu shook his arm to alleviate the slight pain from having his fingers nearly crushed in Seth's iron grip. He elbow throbbed too where the force of the backwards thrust had pushed it into the bed post. "I told you." He grimaced and shifted. "Help me, Seth. I've been lying in this position for days. I want to get up and have a bath. A servant was here a little while ago to fill the pool."

After Atemu got out of the bed with the help of Seth and had his bath, he felt much better. "Seth, help me with fresh bandages."

The two worked silently, Seth wrapping the bandages around his chest and waist, and Atemu trying his hardest to hold his arms up out of the way. "It feels good to be clean again," he said to his cousin. The brunette simply grunted a response.

Once they were done, Seth helped Atemu get back to the bed, as he was tired from the exersion. Atemu fell to the floor when Seth 'accidentally' let go. "Forgive me, my Pharaoh! I lost my grip."

Atemu tried to lift himself up. "That hurt, Seth. Be more careful." Seth helped him to stand and he shuffled his feet on the hard marble surface of the floor leaning on his cousin for support.

"You really are very weak," Seth said, unable to hide the scorn in his voice.

Atemu stopped walking and looked up at his much taller relative. What he saw was disgust. "Seth?" Atemu abruptly found himself back on his bed with his cousin positioned over him, a sharp blade at his throat. It was the blade that was usually hidden within the Millennium Rod; the item bestowed upon Seth when he became High Priest by his uncle. "Seth! What are you doing?"

"There is no way that you should be the Pharaoh!" Seth hissed at him. "You are weak! Even before you were struck down! Your father was weak too. He was the younger brother, and yet he was put on the throne before my father. And then you were put on before me. It should not have been like that. I was destined for the throne, not you!"

Atemu lay very still. He had just tested his strength against Seth, so he knew he would never be able to get out from under him, although he was now realising it was Seth who had tested him to see if he would be able to fight him in the first place. This was no spur of the moment game of pretend or test to see what he would do. The things his cousin was saying were too passionate to be a ruse. "Seth, please think about what you are doing. I could just call out for help and a dozen guards would rush in here to stop you."

Seth grinned with malice. He pressed the blade slightly harder against the neck of his ruler. "There are no guards out there to help you, my King. I sent them all away telling them that I would take care of you for a short time." Atemu's eyes widened. "But, just to be sure..."

Seth brought the blade away from Atemu's throat and down to the fresh bandages. He made a small slice and they fell away. He pulled the bandages out from under the Pharaoh and wrapped a small piece around Atemu's head and over his mouth. Atemu tried to stop him, but he could barely lift his arms. The most he could do was push feebly against his cousin's chest.

When Seth finished gagging the smaller male, he shifted, lifted himself up and flipped Atemu over onto his front. Atemu gasped around the gag as the pain of being forced to lie on his healing-but- still-aching wound stung him. Seth grabbed both of his arms pulling them behind his back and used more bandages to secure his wrists together tightly. He was then turned back and was looking up at his traitorous relative once again, who was leaning over him, the blade still in one hand.

"You are now completely at my mercy, my Pharaoh. I can do anything I want to you." Seth leaned over him and put his lips to the shell of his ear. "Anything." He then jutted his tongue out to lick the cartilage. Atemu tried to lift his legs to kick at the taller, stronger an above him, but all he managed to do was wriggle slightly. Seth noticed this and laughed. "Trying to stop me? You are as weak as a kitten with no claws. There is nothing you can do." He sat back up, his legs pinning Atemu at his thighs. "I will, however, tell you what my intentions are." He lifted the blade high in the air. "I am going to kill you." He brought the item down hard and fast.

Atemu cried out and flinched, shutting his eyes to the impending impact, but the blade was not aimed at his head, rather the pillow on which his head rested. The weapon was embedded inches deep into the pillow and mattress. After he realised he was still alive, Atemu opened one eye and turned his head to focus on the shiny edge merely an inch away from his head. He felt sweat falling from his face. A chuckle brought his attention swiftly back to the man above him.

"Of course, if I were to kill you by the blade, it would be too obvious that it was murder. Instead," Seth said pulling small vial from within his robes, "I will poison you. You will die, and it will appear as if you died from your injuries. No one will be the wiser." He laughed.

Atemu shook his head from side to side and tried to speak around the material in his mouth. His eyes pleaded with Seth not to do what he was about to do, but the High Priest's expression was that of a mad man. His eyes were wide with anticipation, his lips curled into a sneer.

Seth uncorked the vial and leaned forwards. "Finally, after years of resentment, but still having to do what was best for Egypt so that I would not rule a broken land, I will finally be able to take the throne and rule as Pharaoh!"

Atemu tried to avoid Seth's hands. His right hand held the vial, the other reached for his face. He pulled to the right and nearly cut his face on the blade. Stopping short, Seth reached him and cupped his chin with his left hand. "Open up, my King. It is time for you to have a drink." Lifting his thumb so that he pressed down on the bandages in Atemu's mouth and pulling down to hook the tip around Atemu's lower teeth, he manipulated the monarch's mouth until it was held open. He then tipped the entire contents of the vial inside the open maw.

Atemu choked at the bitter taste of the poison and tried to spit it out, but Seth closed his mouth again and pinched his nose so that if he did not swallow the liquid, he would suffocate. He had no choice. He swallowed and Seth immediately let him go.

Seth replaced the gag so that Atemu still could not call for help and sat back before getting off the bed. "Allow me to tell you what will happen to you. The poison will work quickly to shut down your organs one at a time, but don't worry, you won't suffer."

Atemu frowned when Seth paused. He was looking at him, as if waiting for something. Atemu thrashed slightly to try and get up, maybe loosen his binds, but he suddenly stopped. His eyes felt heavy, and his breathing became deeper. He was falling asleep. He looked at Seth as his world darkened.

"You won't suffer, because the poison will first put you to sleep, a sleep from which you will never awaken."

The last thing Atemu saw and heard before darkness engulfed him, was his most trusted Priest and cousin laughing, watching him die.

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Must...not...write...rapefic!! Must...widen...writing...potential!! God, this is hard...I really was going to have Seth rape Atemu, but changed the whole thing before uploading.

I feel incomplete... :(

I was going to leave it to end there, and if you think that's a good place to stop, then tell me and I will make it to this is the only chapter. Seth wins, Atemu dies. If you don't want Atemu to die, tell me and I'll add the second part. You tell me. Most votes gets what is wanted.

(Incidentally, if you WANT Seth to use Atemu's weakness to his advantage and rape him I can do that!) - grins evilly -


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